The present invention generally relates to microfluidics and more particularly to the design of customized microfluidic systems using a microfluidic computer aided design system. Such customized microfluidic systems may be used, for example, for fluid analysis of biological samples.
Typically microfluidic systems for processing fluid samples employ a series of chambers each configured for subjecting the fluid sample to a specific processing step. As the fluid sample flows through the system sequentially from chamber to chamber, the fluid sample undergoes the processing steps according to a specific protocol. Because different protocols require different configurations, the design and manufacturing of such microfluidic systems can be time-consuming and costly.
Conventional computer aided design tools such as AutoCAD® are inadequate for the design and layout of microfluidic systems. For instance, AutoCAD® is a general tool, and has no drawing constraints and provides no specific microfluidic design information associated with a component.
Thus there is a need for computerized design techniques which allow the quick and easy formation of microfluidic systems with different configurations and utilizing different protocols.